A Triple Feature for When You’re Feeling 30(ish) and Not Flirty and Not Thriving :/

DRINKING BUDDIES (streaming on Netflix)
PLOT: Olivia Wilde and Jake Johnson work in a brewery together and are friends. They drink a lot. They also have relationships with other people and don’t talk about their feelings.
TAKEAWAY: The people in this movie really do drink a lot. I feel great about how much I drink compared to the people in this movie. Though they do seem to be having a lot of fun. So much fun. Funnnnn. Fun. Fun. Also maybe I should move to Chicago? The apartments there seem nice. The beer apparently cheap.

FRIENDS WITH KIDS (streaming on Netflix)
PLOT: Jennifer Westfeldt and Adam Scott are BFFs who don’t sleep together and are appalled by how much their married friends’ lives suck once they have kids so they … decide to have a kid.
TAKEAWAY: I thought this movie was going to be a TREATISE on the ACCEPTABILITY and even SUPERIORITY of a child-free life. And then I thought it was going to be about alternative family arrangements. But: It is neither of those things. It’s about how great it is to fall in love and have a kid with another human. Also I related most to the Megan Fox character!!! (There is a Megan Fox character.) Which is not supposed to happen!! Because she basically just is in movies to be hated by the people you actually are supposed to like! So that is crazy.
Okay the ACTUAL craziest thing about this movie is that Jennifer Westfeldt and Jon Hamm are pretty open about how great their life is without kids! So for her to make this movie glorifying childrearing hurts my feelings!
Okay maybe the actual actual actual ACTUAL crazy part of this movie is that I loved it the whole time I was watching it and even after watching it and only hours later did I realize how manipulated I was by it. I’m such an easy mark.

YOUNG ADULT (streaming on Netflix)
PLOT: A sociopath revisits her hometown and messes with some people’s perfectly fine lives, then realizes her life accomplishment is having left her hometown, and she feels great about that.
TAKEAWAY: This movie is terrifying. Truly bleak! My life: Not as bleak as this movie. I feel great about that. Truly great. Anything is possible.
Support The Billfold
The Billfold continues to exist thanks to support from our readers. Help us continue to do our work by making a monthly pledge on Patreon or a one-time-only contribution through PayPal.
Comments